Artist Statement
Painting is the recording of the world, its environment and humanity through my eyes, my senses, my spirit. When that expression touches another's soul, the worth to me is great.
--Jeanne Harris Weaver
As an oil painter, I continue to pursue knowledge of art and its techniques through color, form, light and composition striving to always be true to my personal form of expression. It is that process of painting that is important to me--to take a subject and with the process of painting reveal my spirit without fear. When the result is successful and the on-looker identifies with it, the effect is magnificent.
Before beginning a painting, I develop the composition and color palette through a number of sketches, and sometimes a color study. Trial and error has taught me to work out any problems before I put oil to canvas. I prefer to lay the composition onto the canvas freely. Although my art is representational, I am less concerned about the details in a scene and more concerned about the sense it communicates. My subject matter encompasses places where I have lived or visited in the United States or around the world and those subjects which touch my heart.
Note: When we lived in Tanzania in the 1970s we acquired many Tinga Tinga paintings. They were freely painted by local artists using whatever they could to create them - usually house paint and some type of board. They were absolutely fantastic and became gifts to many of our friends and family. Below is my attempt at creating a Tinga Tinga using a gessoed panel and acrylic paint. I gifted this one to one of my grand daughters. Some day I must do another.
